We appeared upon the topmost layer of the Kingdom of God's lands.
From that height the world below unfolded in quiet detail. Cities stretched across the planet's surface, their streets alive with movement. People walked in measured rhythms, merchants opened stalls, children ran between narrow lanes, smoke curled gently from clustered homes. Life continued.
It looked like Elren.
Not merely similar, it was a careful echo. The same architectural grace. The same flowing districts. Even the rivers curved through the land in familiar paths.
What truly happened eluded me.
If the people were here, then they were all dead.
And that explained why only thirteen signatures remained.
I raised my eyes.
The angels were already gathering.
They approached quickly but stopped several steps away, reverence restraining what relief tried to undo. Their faces shone with something they could not conceal, joy sharpened by exhaustion, relief heavy enough to tremble.
I attempted a smile.
It felt incorrect on my face, like a gesture remembered rather than felt.
"You have done well," I said, placing my hand upon Angelos' hair after he knelt before me.
He bowed his head deeper at the touch.
"All would have been lost if it were not for you," I added, letting my gaze move across the others.
Several lowered their eyes. One covered his mouth. Another exhaled a breath that sounded dangerously close to breaking.
"Now tell me," I continued evenly, "what do you desire?"
Michaelos stepped forward in full armor, the metal faintly marked by time rather than battle. He pressed his right hand against his chest.
"Nothing, my lord," he said, voice tight despite his effort to steady it. "We have desired nothing but your return. We have missed seeing the morning sun. This world has missed your radiance, my lord."
Tears slid down his face before he finished speaking.
I smiled again.
Obviously fake.
His words meant nothing to me. They were carried by emotion, not by fact.
"Who might they be, my lord?" Sarayelos asked carefully, glancing toward the fragments.
"They are me, and I am them. Fragments of my being. As you can see, they bear my visage," I answered.
Happiness waved.
Anger folded its arms.
Fear avoided the angels entirely.
I walked past them and toward the throne.
Each step echoed softly through the vast chamber until I lowered myself into the seat and leaned my head against the backrest.
"Tell me what happened to Elren," I said, eyes settling on Michaelos. "And how has the world been since my absence?"
He hesitated.
The pause said more than words.
"Well, my lord… on the day you were cast into the well, the council, in a bid to erase the supposed corruption from Elren, decided to destroy everything you and… the lady created."
Sadness tinged every syllable.
"Only a few survived the ordeal," Aladrielos continued, stepping forward when Michaelos faltered. His eyes were still wet. "They were separated into two groups. One is led by the Saint. His Majesty remains alone in another part of the land."
"Please help them, my lord," Raphaelos said quickly. "They haven't stopped praying to you. Not once. They need your protection."
"I see," I replied.
I allowed a brief smile to form.
"Please leave me. I wish to reach out to Enoch."
The angels bowed at once. Their wings unfolded in a soft rush, and they descended toward the planet without another word.
Silence settled.
"They need comfort," Love said gently.
Desire nodded, eyes closed as if savoring the lingering devotion in the air.
Sadness shook its head, and a single tear traced down its cheek.
Am I that dramatic?
"And they… they experienced quite a scary experience," Fear added, shuddering.
Anger rolled his eyes.
Happiness wandered toward the edge of the platform, staring at the world below with open fascination.
I closed my eyes and reached for the strongest presence bearing Enoch's mark.
The connection formed instantly.
"Enoch," I called.
The world shifted.
I stood upon a balcony overlooking the royal district of Elren. Sunlight bathed the city. Citizens moved through the streets unaware of me.
Enoch stood with his back turned.
Older.
Thinner.
Still upright.
I walked toward him.
"Enoch," I called again.
My voice came out disturbed, layered with another tone beneath it.
Before he could react, the sky darkened.
An eclipse devoured the sun.
Screams erupted below.
People ran without direction, panic spreading faster than shadow.
Enoch lurched forward.
"Inside! Get inside!" he shouted, waving desperately. "Move! Do not stop!"
He sobbed as he tried to herd them.
I called him again.
He did not turn.
This dream had become a nightmare, and the change was not mine.
Chaos.
Of course.
I threaded a strand of untouched faith through the authority of dreams.
"Enough."
My voice resounded through the dream space.
Everything froze.
Now it was only Enoch and me.
"Enoch."
He turned.
His eyes were swollen, cheeks wet.
He walked toward me with unsteady steps.
"Lord?" he asked, reaching out.
Before his hand could meet me, I reshaped the dream.
We stood within the throne room of the Kingdom of God. I appeared seated behind a semi transparent curtain.
"My lord!" he cried, laughter breaking through his tears. "You came back… you actually came back."
"Yes," I said calmly. "I have returned, Enoch."
He dropped to his knees.
"I… I have failed you, my lord."
"I am the one who failed you," I replied.
"That is not true," he said quickly, almost sharply. He inhaled slowly, forcing composure. "Cities fall. Kingdoms end. It is the way of things. We were… unfortunate, that is all."
"You are minimizing it."
A faint smile touched his mouth.
"If I do not, I might drown in it," he admitted quietly. "So allow me this small dignity."
I studied him.
"The reason Elren was destroyed is because of me. I am sorry for the way things ended."
He shook his head.
"My lord, if blame must exist, then it belongs to those who feared what they could not control. Not to the one who gave us light."
He paused.
"But… it was hard," he added, voice lowering. "Watching it burn. Hearing them call your name while the sky fell. They hoped you would return."
His lips trembled.
"I had to believe it."
"But your people are safe," I said. "They are here with me. They have received their eternal reward."
Relief flickered across his face, fragile but real.
"I hoped that was true," he whispered.
"I have been hoping for your return, my lord. The emptiness here…" He pressed a hand to his chest. "…it has been difficult to ignore. Yet I told no one. A ruler should not lean where others must stand."
"You look tired, Enoch."
He gave a quiet laugh.
"I am, my lord. It is to be expected after the ordeal."
A pause settled between us. Then he lifted his head.
"You are truly back?"
"For now," I said.
That seemed enough, as his shoulders loosened for the first time.
"Then perhaps," he said softly, "the world may start healing."
"Not yet, the ones who did this must pay first" I said